ANTHRAX's CHARLIE BENANTE Mourns Death Of His Older Sister And FRANK BELLO's Mother

ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante is mourning the death of his older sister Rosie.

Rosie was the mother of ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello, who was enlisted by Charlie to join the band in 1984.

On Saturday (April 22),Charlie took to his social media to post a couple of early family photos and he included the following message: "My oldest sister Rosie left us Friday, she was one of the strongest , smartest and resilient woman you'd ever meet. It was she that first told me about #jaws .

"My sister Rosie was an avid reader, she had an original copy of Jaws - she was the one that started my obsession.

"I'll never forget our first @anthrax tour , we were in a Winnebago going across country ,FUN! we hadn't talked to anyone from our family in a few days and My sister wasn't having it!

"Did I mention my oldest sister is @thefrankbello mother?

"We get to the show somewhere in Pennsylvania to find My sister , his mother waiting at the venue, she wasn't happy . I'm sure other Italian families can relate and understand this. My sister flew out to see Why she hadn't heard from us, this was Rosie. She didn't take shit from anyone.

"When she was in the hospital , I sent her a copy of Jaws…I had to .

"I said goodbye to her yesterday, I wish I saw her more these last few years…"

According to Billboard, Benante was a big influence and musical mentor for Bello, encouraging his nephew to switch from guitar to bass when he worked out bass parts on the six-string during their pre-ANTHRAX jam sessions.

Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Frank's mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with ANTHRAX from his early teens — first as a roadie, and then as the group's bass player.

"I have great, strong women in my life," Bello, now a married father of a son, told Billboard. "My grandmother, my mother, my aunts; just beautiful people that I cherish to this day. As far as fatherhood, I want to show this is how not to do it. I experienced that. I don't want people to go through that. This is what happens when abandonment happens and [made] the hole I have in my gut, my heart. Thankfully, metal was filling that gap for me. Something had to make me feel better. [It was] the community of metal because we all bonded behind our uniforms, our leather jackets, all that stuff. It was something to belong to. It was so helpful to me."

International stardom came Frank's way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony.

Bello released a memoir, "Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax", in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.

Photo credit: Ignacio Galvez / HERFitz PR